An impulsive revelation
by Stand with Ward and Queen
Summary: After dealing with The Thinker, Barry thought life could get back to normal, as normal as it could anyway. Then his daughter Nora from the future showed up. Only she's not Iris' daughter. As Barry reels from this, a betrayal from his past comes to light and shatters his world.
1. Nora

**I know, I should probably be working on one my various other stories I have going on right now. But this idea has been going around in my head for the past few weeks and I had to at least start it, see if anyone is interested.**

 **Two things you need to know. First, Nora is portrayed by Camilla Luddington instead of Jessica Parker Kennedy. And the reason for that will be revealed once you read this.**

 **Second, this is not for WestAllen shippers. So just don't read it if you can't deal with that. It takes me less than ten seconds to decide whether your review is worth replying to or even worth keeping, so sending me hate mail just makes you look like an ass.**

 **Anyway, to quote John Constantine, on with the show.**

West House

Afternoon

Barry, along with the rest of his team and family, stared at the young woman, who looked to only be a few years younger than he was, who was claiming to be his daughter. From the future. Excuse him for a minute while he attempted to pick up the shattered pieces of his mind.

"So, you're our daughter?" Barry repeated, his voice giving way to his disbelief as he gestured to himself and Iris.

"From the future," Iris said clearly just as skeptical.

"Yes and no. I'm from the future and I'm your daughter, but I'm not yours," Nora said as she looked over at the stunned Iris apologetically.

"Come again?" Barry said stunned.

"Do you remember Patty Spivot? Well, when she left Central City, she was pregnant. With me," Nora said, looking a little awkward as she said this.

Barry stared at her, stunned. However, as he attempted to process this news, the CSI in him was looking at her and doing some comparisons. While her hair was dark brown like his, it was long and flowing like Patty's. Her eye color seemed to be a mix of his dark eyes and Patty's blue eyes, resulting in Nora's light brown eyes. He could see several of Patty's facial features in Nora's face, as well as some of his own.

"Anyone else want a refill?" Cisco asked randomly and everyone turned to look at him incredulously. "Just me? Okay."

"Cisco Ramon. My mom was right, you always try to lighten the mood," Nora noted and they all turned to her.

"You know our names?" Caitlin asked, surprised but not sure why.

"I know all your names. Caitlin. Ralph. Joe. Cecile. Wally. Iris. And Dad," Nora said as she looked over at Barry, who was still having trouble processing all this.

"Okay, I-I need to sit down," Barry said he all but collapsed into the wall, sliding down to the floor. "Cisco? I'll take that drink now."

"So your codename is Impulse? Clearly not my doing," Cisco said as he poured himself and Barry a glass of Champaign, walking over and handing one to Barry.

"No, it's a nickname my mom gave me. It's how I've been since I was a kid. Jumping in without thinking, not looking before I leap, Impulsive. Mom said I got that from you," Nora said as she looked over at Barry, who had already drowned his glass of Champaign.

"And your mom is Patty Spivot? About this tall, blond, blue eyes, super perky?" Cisco asked as Barry got to his feet.

"Yeah, that's her," Nora said with a nod.

"Okay, this mistake you made? What was it?" Barry asked, the alcohol having helped calm him down.

"Helping you save the city by destroying the Star Labs satellite last night," Nora said sheepishly and Barry, along with everyone else, stared at her incredulously.

"You were the other Speedster," Barry breathed and she nodded.

"I couldn't help myself, Impulse. But now I'm in trouble, I can't go fast enough to open up the Speed Force," Nora explained. "I'm stuck and you guys are the only ones who can help me."

 **So, should I continue or not?**


	2. a father's love

**So, by popular demand, this story will continue.**

Argus base

Late morning

Lyla was going over some reports when her cell phone rang. And it was her personal phone, not her work phone. Lyla dug her phone out and saw 'Barry Allen' flashing across the screen. Frowning, Lyla answered.

"Barry?' Lyla asked, mentally thinking of a reason Barry would be calling her.

To her knowledge, nothing had gone wrong since Barry handled Devoe.

"Hey Lyla. Is now a bad time?" Barry asked and Lyla could immediately tell something was wrong with the speedster.

"No, not at all. What's going on Barry?" Lyla asked a little concerned.

"I need you to track someone down for me. Patricia Spivot, she goes by Patty. Last time I talked to her was January two years ago, she was headed to Midway City, although she may have moved since then," Barry told her.

"Any particular reason you're trying to track her down now?" Lyla asked.

"When she left, she may have been pregnant with our daughter," Barry said and Lyla almost dropped the phone.

"Oh," Lyla said lamely.

"Yeah. So, can you help me find her?" Barry said and Lyla could hear the desperation in his voice.

"I'll see what I can do," Lyla promised him.

Star Labs

Same time

Barry hung up the phone and looked up at the speed tube, where Nora was running. The yellow lightning coming off her in waves looking exactly like his. Barry shook his head, looking over to where Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, and Iris were.

"Well?" Barry asked.

"Joe gave me access to the CCPD database and I ran a DNA test. Nora's DNA matches up with both yours and Patty's, 99.9 percent," Caitlin told him.

"So it's true, Patty…she was pregnant. And she never told me," Barry said, running a hand over his face as he processed this.

"You okay man?" Wally asked as they all eyed Barry in concern.

"I just found out that my ex-girlfriend, who I cared very deeply for and thought I knew very well, had my daughter and never told me. I don't think I plan on using okay for a while Wally," Barry said gruffly. "What about Nora being stuck here?"

"Everything's normal. She definitely has Speed Force in her system, she's just not going fast enough to um, open up a time portal," Cisco said obviously not all there today as they all looked over at him.

"Enjoy a little too much Champaign?" Barry asked, eager for something to distract him from his situation.

"This was the first opportunity I had to process my break up with Gypsy. How was I supposed to know that your future daughter," Cisco made wild gestures with his hands as he said this. "was going to show up and crash my pity party?"

"Okay, maybe you should go lay down, huh buddy?" Barry said, looking over at Caitlin. "Make sure he lies down. Wally, could you take a sample of Nora's DNA to the Legends, see if they can figure out what's going on? Worst comes to worse, maybe they can take Nora home on the Waveridder?"

"Yeah, sure," Wally nodded before speeding off.

"Look, I gotta head to CCPD, Singh wants me. I'd already be on my way but," Barry looked up at Nora speeding in the Speed Tube. "Can you two watch her, keep an eye on her?"

"Sure," Caitlin said and Barry nodded before he started walking off.

"Barry," Iris caught up to him. "Look, I know this is complicated but…everything's gonna work out. I mean, I'm sure Patty had a good reason for not telling you."

"She kept my daughter from me. Nora's probably around two years old now Iris. I missed so much already. And there-there is no reason that can ever justify that, no forgiveness for that," Barry said roughly before speeding off.

Iris gulped once he had run off, looking over at Nora's speeding form in the speed tube. She could only hope, perhaps foolishly, that Barry would never find out her secret.

Central City Police department

Afternoon

Barry opened up the door to his lab and smiled at the sight of the boxes of cases he had missed while the Devoe thing was going on. After the morning he'd had, the constant in this was a welcome distraction.

"Wow, you are seriously behind," Barry nearly jumped as he turned around to face Nora. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn't," Barry lied and, by the amused half smile on her face, it was clear Nora had inherited her mother's skills of deduction. "I thought you were staying at Star Labs with Caitlin and Iris."

"Well, as much fun as it sounds spending time with the step-mom I never knew, I would much rather get to know my dad," Nora said and Barry narrowed his eyes.

"Never knew? Get to know? Do we…not know each other? In the future I mean?" Barry asked uncertainly and Nora shrugged.

"We've never met before. Mom told me that, when I was about nine months old, she called you, told you about me. She didn't catch you, so she left a message. She never got a call back, so she assumed you didn't want anything to do with us. With me," Nora explained and Barry heard the slight catch in her voice, only someone who was used to hiding his emotions behind a smile would have seen how this affected her.

"So, the wedding…" Barry trailed off.

"The first time I saw you outside of pictures or news reports. I'd imagined that moment so many times in my head, thought of a million things to say, to ask you, and the first thing I actually say to you is 'don't forget to say I do,'" Nora said with a sound that was half laughing half crying.

"I never got a message. If I had…" Barry trailed off as she looked up at him.

"If you had, what?" Nora asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"If I'd known you were out there, if I'd known that I had a daughter, I'd have made sure that you'd know every day that I loved you. That I was there for you. That I was your father and that nothing would have stopped me from being part of your life," Barry said his voice thick with emotion.

Nora's mask crumbled and she lowered her head, her chest heaving as she cried, releasing years of repressed emotions. Barry walked over to his daughter and took her into his arms. As Nora, for the first time, allowed her father to comfort her, Barry felt something in that moment he had never felt before. He felt a father's love for his child.


	3. Nora's secret

Central City Police Department

Afternoon

"Sorry, god I'm sorry," Nora said as she let Barry go, turning to wipe her eyes.

"It's fine, really," Barry said and there was an awkward silence in the room as they realized they had no idea what to say no. "So…your mom. Patty, is she…"

"She actually passed away a few years ago," Nora said and Barry was struck, feeling him he'd just been shot. "She was on her way to a crime scene when she got into a car wreck. She didn't suffer; the ME said she died almost instantly."

"And did she…" Barry trailed off, trying to find the ability to speak again.

"She had a good life. She never married but her whole life became about being a CSI and being a mom," Nora explained.

Barry opened and closed his mouth, trying to come up with something, anything, to say when the police radio in his lab went off.

"All available units, there is an M-0-3 in progress."

"That's a Meta attack," Nora noted and he looked over at her. "Mom told me some stuff about her time as a police officer."

"Yeah, my suit's all torn up-" Barry began.

There was a blur of movement and Nora stood in front of him, holding one of his older suits.

"A little retro but it should get the job done," Nora shrugged.

Barry nodded in thanks before taking it and speeding off.

Central City

Moments later

Barry sped onto the scene and punched the Meta, sending him falling into the back of the car. Barry then sped over and safely got the two officers to the ground safely.

"Going old school today Flash?" one of the officers said as they saw him.

"Yeah, it's a little tighter than I remember," Barry noted as he looked down.

"Flash," the other officer said as he saw the Meta get up.

"One sec," Barry said speeding over to the Meta.

Barry dodged the Metas electricity based attacked before speeding around him, creating speed mirages. This confused the Meta long enough for Barry to speed over and punch him, distracting him enough for Barry to get the power dampening cuffs on him.

"He's all yours now boys," Barry said as he the police cruisers rolled in.

Star Labs

Later in the afternoon

"How's he doing?" Barry asked as he walked in to see Cisco laying on bed in the med-bay.

"He's sleeping it off. His break up with Gypsy hit him hard," Caitlin said concerned.

"Cisco, he's tough. He'll get through this," Barry said and Caitlin nodded, although she looked uncertain.

"You okay?" Caitlin asked as she saw his face and he shot her a look. "Right, stupid question."

"I talked with Nora. Apparently, Patty told Nora that she sent me a message about her when she was nine months old but I didn't answer."

"You think she lied to Nora?" Caitlin asked carefully.

"I don't know. I just know that I never got a message from Patty. I have Lyla trying to track her down, so hopefully I'll get my answers soon," Barry said before noticing the look on Caitlin's face. "What?"

"It's nothing," Caitlin said as she moved to go.

"Cait, what is it?" Barry asked and Caitlin sighed.

"It's just…it seems really weird, you know? She never knew you, yet she came back in time to meet you? Why didn't she just go to you in the future? It doesn't add up Barry," Caitlin pointed out.

Barry thought on that for a moment before turning and walking off. He found Nora in the dining room Cisco and HR had set up a while back. Nora was holding a picture in her arms, a picture of the original Team Flash: Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and Wells, or rather Thawne.

"Nora," Barry called out and she looked over her shoulder. "What happens to me in the future?"

"What?" Nora asked, playing innocent.

"You have the same tell as your mom, you bite your lower lip when you're nervous," Barry noticed and she stopped. "You said you came back to meet me. But if I was around in the future, you could have come up to me then. Nora, I need to know."

Not long after, they stood in the time vault, staring at the news article written by Iris, saying he would vanish in six years.

"How long?" Barry asked.

Nora raised her arm and pushes something on the first. In a flash, the article is replaced by a different one.

'Twenty years later-Flash still missing' the headline read.

"You never make it back," Nora whispers as Barry stared at the article in shock.

"So, um, did you…" Barry trailed off but Nora knew what he meant.

"Know who you were then? No, mom told me the truth when I was twelve, that's when my powers kicked in. You were my favorite superhero, mom always got a kick out of that," Nora smiled sadly. "When we got the news, I was crushed. But that night, I heard mom crying from my room. I didn't figure it out until she told me the truth."

"You're not stuck here, are you?" Barry realized and Nora looked away guiltily.

Nora pulled something out of the device on her wrist. She handed it to him and Barry noted it resembled a computer chip.

"Negative Tachyons, they have the opposite effect of tachyons, they slow you down instead of making you go faster. I'm sorry that I lied to you, I just wanted to know you so badly," Nora said guiltily.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Barry asked quietly.

"Because if you knew who I was, you would have sent me back the moment I walked into Joe's house. With great power comes great responsibility. But I'm not responsible, I'm just really selfish and a terrible speedster," Nora said in self-loathing.

"You're not selfish or terrible," Barry told her.

"I'm fast dad, but I can't do what you do. I want to help but I don't even know how to phase yet. Guess there's only so much you can learn from stories," Nora said sadly.

"God," Barry put a hand to his head as he turned away.

"I'm sorry," Nora repeated, hating how guilty he looked.

"It's not your fault. I was…so angry with your mom when I realized I'd missed so much of your life. But I didn't just miss those first two years, I missed everything. Your whole life," Barry said as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you," Nora said as she saw his face.

"I'm not upset, I'm…angry. Because just like me, my daughter is forced to grow up without her father," Barry said softly.

"Barry, Nora, we need you in the cortex," Iris' voice came over the intercom.

"Come on, let's go see what they want," Nora said as she saw her father was still struggling with this news.

Barry gave a terse nod as she began to lead him out of the time vault.

"So, we think we found a way to send Nora home," Caitlin said as they entered the time vault.

"Yeah, about that-" Nora began, about to spill the beans.

"Let's hit pause on this whole thing," Barry said suddenly and they all turned to him.

"You want Nora to stay?" Iris asked surprised.

"I think we should just make sure her powers are working correctly before we send her home," Barry lied as Wally entered the room.

"What?" Wally asked.

"Barry wants Nora to stay for a while," Iris said her tone implying she didn't care for the idea.

"What about the time line?" Caitlin inquired.

"Well, Wally and I talked a little about that," Barry said and they all looked at Wally.

"Well, the Legends have a theory. There are some historical events that are soft. Basically, you change those, it's not going to affect much, like Barry going back in time and getting Snart to help us rob Argus. Then there are those that are fixed. Mess with them and all sorts of crazy stuff starts to happen," Wally explained.

"Like the night my mom died," Barry said and Wally nodded.

"Well, she's gonna need a place to stay," Caitlin pointed out.

"I guess I can stay in the lounge," Nora said, trying to stop the beaming smile from crossing her face.

"The lounge? What lounge?" Wally asked confused.

"You don't know about the Lounge? It's in the Flash Museum," Nora said surprised.

"I'm sorry, Flash Museum?" Barry said stunned.

Nora led them to a room in Star Labs with some couches and, to their surprise; Joe was on one of them.

"Dad?" Iris asked surprised.

"Damn. Found my spot," Joe deadpanned.

"You knew about this?" Barry asked amused.

"I've been napping in here since day 1," Joe said and Barry laughed.

"Well, Nora was gonna stay here if that's alright with you," Barry told him.

"Okay. Now I can get to know my…granddaughter," Joe said his tone both conveying how strange the words wounded to his own ears while also managing to sound warm and inviting.

As Nora sat down next to Joe and Wally on the couch next to them, Barry smiled as he saw the exchange. This was how it always should have been, he decided. Suddenly, his phone started ringing. Barry pulled it out and saw it was Lyla.

"Excuse me," Barry said before walking away and answering. "Do you have anything on Patty?"

"I have everything, including her current address," Lyla told him. "And about seven months after she left Central City, she gave birth to a daughter, who she named Nora Patricia Allen. Congratulations Barry, you're a father."

"Yeah, I know," Barry said as he looked over at Nora.

Midway City

Night

Patty had just put her daughter down for the night when someone knocked on her front door. She made her way over to the door and looked through the keyhole. She paled as she saw Barry standing on the other side of the door.

"I know you're in there Patty. We need to talk," Barry said from outside.

 **I changed Nora messing up with Gridlock because I don't care for how Nora is written. I thought she was a great addition in the premiere, but honestly, how she's written as constantly messing up is annoying. Nora frankly seems to get the sort end of the stick, especially over the last two episodes.**


	4. Answers

**I don't consider myself a good writer of romance or drama, so I hope this is okay.**

Midway City

Night

"Come on Patty, open the door," Barry said when it remained closed. "We both know I can get through this door, but somehow, I don't think that's gonna go over well with you. Open the door so we can talk Patty."

For a moment, the door remained closed. Then, Barry heard the door unlock and Patty opened the door. Even after over two years apart, just the sight of her gave him a speedster's jumpstart. She was as beautiful as she was the day he had met her. But he wasn't here for that.

"Thank you," Barry said as Patty let him inside, closing the door behind him.

"Thank you for not phasing through the door," Patty said, appreciating that he respected her enough not to invade her home that way.

"I would never force my way into your home. Although boy was I tempted," Barry said and Patty noted the anger on his face.

"What are you doing here Barry?" Patty asked as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, I was just enjoying some time with my friends and family when our daughter from the future showed up and spilled the beans," Barry said casually and it took a minute for Patty to process that.

"What?" Patty asked, sure she had misheard him.

"Yeah. You see, speedsters are so fast they can rip a hole in the space/time continuum, travel through time. Nora from twenty-six years In the future traveled back and got stuck here. So, when I found out I had a daughter, I contacted a friend of mine to track you down. So here we are Patty. Why didn't you tell me?" Barry demanded.

"I did tell you Barry," Patty told him.

"No, you didn't!" Barry snapped, unable to stop the angry shout from leaving his lips.

"Keep your voice down, she is asleep!" Patty hissed in a whisper.

Barry turned away from her, attempting to calm himself. He had kept all his anger bottled up all day and now it was exploding. But he needed to gain control of himself; he didn't want his daughter's first memory of him to be of a screaming match with her mother.

"No, you didn't," Barry said as he turned around to face Patty once he had control of himself. "The first time I ever heard about Nora was when she walked into Joe's house and told me she was my daughter."

"Look, I should have told you about Nora the moment I realized I was pregnant. But I knew you were busy as the Flash and a CSI. And I had school in addition to being pregnant. So I decided not to tell you until after she was born," Patty explained.

"But you didn't," Barry accused and Patty sighed.

"I booked a train ticket to Central City. I dropped Nora off with my mom and went to go tell you everything. Then, I saw you on Joe's front porch, kissing Iris," Patty explained and Barry sighed.

"I'm sorry. I know that must have hurt," Barry told her and she nodded without looking at him.

"It hurt a lot. I couldn't understand how you could move on from what we had so quickly. So I left. It took me about a month before I realized how selfish I was being. I must have picked up and hung up the phone a million times. It took me eight months to finally gather up the courage to call you, to tell you about Nora. I didn't catch you, so I left a message for you. When you never answered, I assumed you didn't want anything to do with us," Patty said and Barry was silent for a moment.

"When did you leave this message? What date?" Barry asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"What date? What month did you leave the message?" Barry asked.

"Late July I think," Patty said and Barry sighed as he realized the problem.

"Patty, I was in the Speed Force when you left that message," Barry explained and she gave him a blank look. "It's sort of this…energy source that all speedsters get their powers from. It's hard to explain, but I was trapped there for five months."

"So, you never got my message," Patty realized and Barry nodded. "But…someone must have heard it."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Barry. It wasn't a thought he liked. It wasn't one he wanted to believe. But, as much as he didn't want to admit it, it made sense.

"Barry?" Patty called out as she saw the look on his face.

"I need to go," Barry said randomly. "I know this is lousy timing, but I need to go. I'll be back, because we still have so much we need to talk about. But I think I figured out why I never got your message."

 _Barry and Iris' apartment, one year ago_

 _Night_

 _Iris, after a long day at Star Labs, walked into the apartment. It felt so alone without Barry, she thought sadly. Walking passed the phone; she saw she had a message left. She pushed play and she stilled as a familiar voice spoke up._

" _Hey Barry, it's Patty. I know you must be surprised that you're hearing from me after over a year. Listen, um, I have something I need to tell you. I should have told you this a long time ago, I have reasons I didn't, but they don't matter. Barry, we have a daughter, her name is Nora. I named her after your mom, it just felt right. I know you must be angry that I didn't tell you before now, and I don't blame you. Just…please call me back."_

 _There was a beep as the message ended. Iris simply stood there, in stunned shock. Then, after a moment, she reached over and pushed delete._

Now

Iris sat on the couch, waiting nervously for Barry to get home. Hearing the key turn in the lock, she looked up as the door opened and Barry walked in. She got to her feet, watching nervously as he closed the door behind him. For the first time in her life, his face was unreadable to her.

"How-how'd it go?" Iris asked, unable to stop the stammer in her voice.

"Patty left me a message about Nora when I was in the speed Force. Did you get it?" Barry asked, getting straight to the point.

"Did Patty tell you that?" Iris asked, hoping she could convince him it wasn't true.

"No. And that isn't an answer Iris," Barry pointed out.

"How can you even think that of me Barry?" Iris asked a little hurt.

"I don't want to, but it's the only thing that makes sense. I'm a CSI, I follow the evidence. You had means, you had opportunity, and you were the only one who would've been in this apartment when it happened. So, tell me, did you get Patty's message?" Barry demanded.

"Barry-"

"Tell me!" Barry exploded his face suddenly hard. "Did you get Patty's message, yes or no Iris?"

"Yes. Yes, I got her message," Iris finally admitted.

Barry unconsciously took a step back, the pain of betrayal mixing with the anger on his face.

"How could you do that Iris?" Barry asked in a wounded voice.

"I was afraid," Iris admitted.

"What, that I would leave you just because I have a kid with her? If that's what you think of me…you never knew me at all," Barry said, his lips quivering with anger.

"Barry-" Iris began.

"It all makes sense now. Earlier, when you were saying Patty must have had a good reason, you weren't talking about her, you were talking about yourself. You-you are the reason my daughter grew up thinking I never wanted her," Barry said, suddenly overcome with rage.

"Barry-" Iris started.

"I can-I can't be here right now," Barry said as he turned to walk out.

"Where are you going?" Iris asked desperately.

"I don't know, but I would rather be anywhere else than stand here in this apartment with you another moment," Barry said in a rough voice she had never heard him direct at him.

Barry yanked open the door and slammed in behind him, leaving Iris alone in an apartment that now felt more alone than ever.

 **Is my dislike of Iris possibly making me biased when I say I think Iris would do something like this? Maybe, but it's not like Iris hasn't done something like this before. In season two, she kept Wally a secret from Joe for reasons that, three years later, make as little sense now as they did then. Andi t's not like Iris hasn't made selfish decisions over the course of the show.**


	5. Conversations

**Hope those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving are having a good holiday. Here's a gift from me to all of you.**

Star Labs

Morning

When Caitlin, Cisco, and Ralph walked into Star Labs the next morning, they weren't sure what the day would bring. But they certainly weren't expecting to see Barry at the computers, slumped over as he slept. The trio exchanged a glance before Caitlin walked over, gently shaking him away. Caitlin stepped back as Barry shot up, at first not comprehending where he was until it all came back to him.

"You okay Barry?" Caitlin asked as Barry ran a hand over his face.

"Fine," Barry said in an unconvincing voice.

"Did you…sleep here?" Ralph asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. I couldn't stay at the loft last night, I couldn't," Barry said as he stood up, turning away from them as he walked away from the computers.

"Barry, what's going on?' Cisco asked and Barry was silent for several moments.

"Iris knew. She knew about Nora," Barry said as he turned around to face his stunned friends. "While I was in the Speed Force, Patty called me, left me a message about Nora. Iris got it, deleted it, and never said a word about Nora."

"God…I…I don't know what to say Barry," Ralph said after a moment of stunned silence.

"What can you say when your wife conspires to keep you away from your daughter?" Barry asked bitterly.

"I'm sorry Barry," Caitlin said and Barry nodded.

"It's not your fault Cait. Nothing you can do about it," Barry sighed.

West House

Not long after

"Iris, hi," Cecile said as she opened the door to reveal Iris on the other side.

"Hey Cecile. Is my dad in?" Iris asked and Cecile noted that Iris seemed off.

"Yeah, he's in the kitchen with Jenna," Cecile said as she let Iris in.

"Hey," Joe said as he looked up as they walked into the kitchen, immediately noticing that something was wrong by the look on Iris' face. "Everything okay?"

"I really need to talk to you dad. If that's okay," Iris said.

"I'll go take Jenna upstairs for a nap," Cecile offering, picking up her daughter and carrying her out of the room.

"What's going on Iris?" Joe asked concerned and Iris sighed, nearly collapsing into the chair.

"I did something dad…something bad, something selfish. And I'm not sure Barry will ever forgive me."

Star Labs

Shortly after

Nora yawned, tying her hair in a ponytail as she walked into the cortex. Caitlin, Cisco, and Ralph were all their, talking quietly. As soon as they saw her, they stopped and tried to act like they weren't talking. Nora noticed but decided not to let on that she had. It was funny the things people would do when you thought you didn't notice.

"Hey Nora. How'd you sleep?" Caitlin asked.

"I slept alright. Has my dad been around today?" Nora asked and they seemed to only be too happy to change the subject.

"He was here earlier but he left. He had to go see a friend," Cisco explained.

Slabside prison

Same time

"You've looked better," Barry said from the visitor's side of the glass.

"I've looked worse to," Oliver said and Barry smiled slightly. "What's going on Barry?"

"I could use some advice," Barry sighed before beginning the rather complicated story that began when Nora had walked into Joe's house.

West house

Same time

"Dad, please say something," Iris pleaded after finishing her story, Joe having remained silent for a few minutes now.

"How could you do that to him? To us?" Joe demanded. "How could you marry him knowing you were keeping him away from his daughter?"

"Because I was selfish," Iris admitted. "I told myself when he was in the Speed Force that it wouldn't matter because he was gone. Then when he was back, I told myself that it wasn't a good time, I told myself that repeatedly. But the truth is I was just being selfish. I didn't want to take the chance Barry would choose Patty."

"So you kept him from his kid," Joe said and Iris remained silent, knowing he was just telling the truth. "Do you any idea what knowing there was a piece of Barry still here would have meant to me?"

"I thought about telling you a few times, but every time I did…you seemed like you were fine dad," Iris said but the words sounded hollow even to her own ears.

"I wasn't fine Iris!" Joe snapped angrily and Iris almost jumped. "I was covering, trying to be strong for you! Because that's what you do when you're a parent! You try to be strong for your children!"

Iris looked away, knowing Joe was right as the sound of Joe's breathing was the only noise in the room for a few moments.

"Iris…I want you to leave," Joe said and she looked up at him stunned. "I love you and I will always love you. But what you did to Barry, to me; to Patty and my granddaughter…I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you. So I'm asking you now to leave."

Iris simply stood there for a moment, unable to comprehend what he was asking her. Then, once it sat in, Iris numbly got up and walked out. Joe ran a hand over his face, trying to come to terms with this as Cecile came in.

"Hey, I heard yelling. Is everything okay?" Cecile asked and Joe let out a humorless laugh.

"No, no it's not. It's pretty far from okay."

Slabside prison

Same time

"Wow," Oliver said once Barry had finished his story.

"Yeah, that's one word for it," Barry sighed before looking at Oliver through the glass. "I know you had a similar situation happen."

"Yeah, I did, but the situations are different. Samantha and I weren't married for one," Oliver pointed out.

"But your mom kept you from William," Barry argued and Oliver nodded. "If your mom hadn't died…would you have been able to forgive her?"

"I don't know," Oliver said after a moment. "But this isn't about me; this is about you and Iris."

"I don't know how I can get passed this Oliver," Barry admitted. "She lied to me; she kept me from my daughter, for almost a year. I messed so much of her life. And Iris clearly never intended on telling me, considering Nora thought I didn't want her."

"What you need to ask yourself…is can you get passed this? Can you see a day, maybe not now, but any day, where you think you can forgive her for this?" Oliver asked and Barry was silent as he thought about that.

 **The thing I disliked the most about the season four premiere, aside from the obvious, was how it never touched on how Team Flash was affected by the loss of Barry. Oaky, it touches on Iris and it affected her, but that was it. It barely even mentions how Cisco is affected aside from him wanting his friend back and doesn't touch on Joe at all. Huge missed opportunity.**


	6. Barry's decision

**Chloe: Wally went back to the Legends like in canon, although he might visit.**

Star Labs

Afternoon

Barry walked into the cortex, sighing as he thought of his conversation with Oliver. As he walked in, Cisco looked up from the computers.

"Hey. How'd your conversation with Oliver go?" Cisco asked gently.

"It went okay I guess. How are you doing?" Barry asked as he looked over at Cisco.

"I'm not the one who found out his wife kept such a huge secret from him," Cisco pointed out and Barry shrugged.

"Trying not to think about that. Seriously though, how are you?" Barry asked and Cisco sighed.

"I've been better," Cisco admitted.

"Look man, I know it's hard. Gypsy, she was great, but maybe you two just weren't meant to last. Trust me, you don't want to hold onto something that just doesn't exist anymore," Barry smiled sadly as Cisco looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been holding onto Iris for years now, afraid to let go. My fear to let her go, of moving on, has made me sabotage all other relationships. Linda, Patty. I had a girlfriend in high school and the relationship ended badly. You know why? Because Iris didn't like her. I have allowed my relationship with Iris to control my life for too long and it has cost me too much. I can't do that anymore," Barry sighed as Cisco was silent. "Is Nora around?"

"No, Cait went to get her some clothes since she's gonna be staying here for now," Cisco said and Barry nodded.

Central City

Later in the afternoon

"Thank you for doing this," Nora told Caitlin gratefully as they walked out of the store, holding some bags of clothes.

"Don't mention it; this is what family does," Caitlin said before she saw the look on Nora's face. "What?"

"Did Iris really know about me?" Nora asked and Caitlin was shocked.

"How did you-Ralph," Caitlin sighed as Nora looked apologetic.

"I noticed you guys were hiding something earlier. I kind of tricked it out of him. So…did she?" Nora asked and Caitlin nodded.

"Yeah, she did," Caitlin admitted. "I'm sorry Nora."

"It's not your fault, it's hers. I didn't come here to break up my dad's marriage," Nora said.

"I know that and so does he. You didn't do anything, whatever happens now, it will be because of choices that your dad and Iris make," Caitlin assured her, putting an arm around Nora's shoulders.

Midway City

Afternoon

Patty was going over some reports when her phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw 'unknown caller' flash across the screen. Frowning, she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Barry said and Patty relaxed. "I'm sorry I ran out like that last night."

"Is everything okay? You seemed pretty upset," Patty said concerned and Barry laughed humorlessly.

"No, things are pretty far from kay. But I think they'll get there. Listen, we still have a lot to talk about and I don't wanna do it over the phone. Is there a way we can meet up?" Barry asked.

"I get off tomorrow at four. There's this restaurant about five minutes from home, Vic Stone's steakhouse. Meet me there at six? We can talk over dinner," Patty offered.

"I'd like that. I'll see you then," Barry said.

"See you then," Patty said before hanging up.

West house

Shortly after

"Barry, hi," Cecile said as she opened the door to see Barry on the other side.

"Hey Cecile," Barry said as she let him in.

"Hey Bar," Joe said from on the couch.

"Hey. I take it you heard," Barry noted and Joe winced.

"Yeah, I heard. I'm sorry Barry. I had no idea Iris would ever do something like that," Joe said.

"Me neither," Barry said a tone of bitterness in his voice.

"Look, I just want you to know, whatever you decide from here on out, I'm here for you," Joe said.

"Thanks, that means a lot. But I actually came here to talk to Cecile," Barry said as he looked over at the stunned Cecile.

"Okay, sure. We'll be back," Cecile told Joe before she led Barry into the kitchen.

"I'm not here as family, I'm here as a client, seeking legal counsel," Barry said and she nodded. "I want to know my legal options."

"Well, since you didn't know about Nora, you have a good case for custody," Cecile said but Barry shook his head.

"I'm not talking about Nora, Patty and I are going to talk about that. We've agreed to meet up. I'm talking about Iris," Barry explained and Cecile was taken back.

"You want to end the marriage," Cecile said and Barry sighed.

"I'm not sure there's a marriage left Cecile. A friend mine, who went through a similar situation a few years ago, asked me if I could see a day where I could find it in me to forgive her. The truth is, maybe. Maybe one day, years from now, I can find it in my heart to forgive Iris for what she did. But I know that I will never forget. And I will never trust Iris again. That's not a marriage and I won't live like that. So, what are my legal options Cecile?" Barry asked.

"Well, you two have been married for less than a year. So, as a lawyer, what I would suggest is…"

Barry and Iris' loft

Night

Iris walked in after a long day to see Barry there. Only, her moment of relief turned to dread when she saw a duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.

"I'm going to stay at Cisco's for now until I can find a new place," Barry told her curtly. "Cecile hooked me up with a colleague of hers. I'm going to file for an annulment."

"Barry, please. I know what I did was horrible, unforgivable. But I want to try and work this out, please," Iris pleaded.

"That's the thing Iris, I don't. For so long, I've put you on this…pedestal. But, for the first time, I feel like I see you for who you really are, not why I want you to be. And I don't like the person I see. I'll be back for my things," Barry said coolly.

Barry then walked passed her, not turning back even as she turned, watching him with tears falling down her face as he opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

 **Anyone else notice the writers once again have Barry being a horrible friend to Cisco and Caitlin this season?**


	7. Dinner

**Chloe: He would get a pass one episode, maybe too, but even after that, he doesn't seem at all concerned with Cisco or Caitlin's problems, 5x06 aside. Which is continuing a trend of Barry not caring about what goes on in their lives unless it affects him. The old Barry, no matter what he was going through, would have made time to be there for Cisco during his break up and Caitlin during everything with her dad.**

 **Spino: I took it down because I'm continuing it.**

 **Guest: Patty still has contacts and friends back at CCPD.**

 **Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, it won't be such a long break next time.**

Star Labs

Afternoon

Barry was in the cortex, going over some things on the computer when Nora walked in.

"Hey," Nora said and Barry nearly jumped. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"Its fine, I was a little preoccupied," Barry said trying to save face and his heart did something weird when Nora flashed him a look Patty had often given him when she knew he was being less than honest with her.

"What are you doing?" Nora asked as she walked up to her father's side.

"I'm doing a little research on a place called 'Vic Stone's steakhouse'. I'm having dinner with your mom there tonight," Barry explained and she looked over at him.

"Like a date?"

"No," Barry said immediately although, for a reason he couldn't name, he felt like he'd just told a lie. "We need to talk about a lot of things, mostly about where we go from here. Plus, I'm still dealing with Iris."

"How's that going?" Nora asked awkwardly after a beat.

"Well, I met with a lawyer this morning and I've filled for annulment. Now I just have to wait," Barry said and Nora looked guilty.

"I'm sorry dad. I didn't come here to break up your marriage," Nora told him.

"I know and you didn't. The moment Iris decided to keep you a secret from me; she destroyed us, not you. So…do you know if your mom's favorite flower are still roses?" Barry asked and Nora laughed.

Mid-Way City

Night

Patty checked her watch before looking around for Barry. He was late. Only a few minutes, but still late. She was just about to pull out her phone and call him when she saw him making his ay though the door. He saw her and made his way over to her.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. There was a robbery In Central City and I had to stop it before heading over," Barry explained as he sat down.

"It's fine Barry. At least now I know why you're always late all the time," Patty joked and Barry smiled slightly. "But are you okay? You looked pretty upset when you left the other night. You don't have to tell me if you don't-"

"Iris knew," Barry cut her off and her look of confusion caused him to elaborate. "She got your message. She deleted it and never said a word to anyone. She would have been perfectly happy letting me believe I didn't have a daughter."

"Wow," Patty said after a moment. "I'm so sorry Barry."

"It's not your fault. And I'd rather talk about what we came here to talk about, so can we please change the subject?" Barry almost begged and Patty nodded.

"Yeah, I think we should. So…Nora came back from the future?" Patty asked, finding it hard to believe.

"It sounds like a bad sci-fi movie, but yeah. I didn't believe it either at first, but Caitlin ran some tests, her DNA matches up with both of ours," Barry pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of Nora, handing his phone to Patty. "She looks like you."

Patty wordlessly took the phone and looked at the picture of Nora. Barry didn't say a word as he allowed Patty to process this. Hey, he could relate to having his whole life turned upside down by a full grown daughter.

"She looks like you to," Patty said as she handed him his phone back.

"By all accounts, you did an amazing job raising her. I wish I could have been there to help you do that," Barry said in guilt.

"That wasn't your fault Barry, I know that now," Patty quickly assured him.

"Maybe, but I wasn't there for her. Or you. I can't change the past, but I can make a better future. I don't want to be a dead beat dad Patty. I grew up without one father, I don't want Nora to go through the same thing," Barry told her emotionally.

"You won't be, but we have a lot to figure out. I can't expect you to give up being The Flash," Patty noted.

"And I can't expect you to leave your whole life behind, uproot Nora just to come back to Central City. So…where does that leave us?" Barry wondered.

"I guess we have a lot to figure out," Patty said tiredly.

West House

Same time

Nora was flipping through some of Joe's old scrap books, looking at pictures of her dad. She paused as she came upon one of her father and mother. Her dad had his arms around her mother's waist as she laughed while he kissed her cheek. Nora simply stared at it for a moment, not even noticing Joe walk over.

"Everything okay?" Joe asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I was just looking through some photos," Nora said and Joe caught a look at the photo which had caught her eye.

"That was taken at the Christmas party we had three years ago," Joe told her softly and she nodded.

"My dad and mom…were they happy together?" Nora asked as she looked up at him.

"Before your mom, I never thought your dad would be happy again," Joe admitted as he remembered how sad and alone Barry had been after Ronnie and Eddie died. "I was so happy she proved me wrong. I think letting your mom go, not telling her everything, is one of the biggest regrets of his life. Looking back, how fast he moved with Iris should have set off warning bells. She wasn't a rebound but…moving that fast with Iris was just not Barry. I think he threw himself into his relationship with Iris because losing your mom hurt him a lot."

Nora nodded softly, gazing at the photo one more time before closing the scrapbook.

Midway City

Later

"My mom's birthday is next week," Patty told Barry as he walked her home. "I was planning a trip to Central City so that Nora and I could surprise her. Maybe I'll come a few days early, so Nora can meet everyone."

"I think they'd like that. And you could meet Nora," Barry noted and she nodded.

"It's still weird that our daughter is only a few years younger than us," Patty noted and Barry chuckled.

"Tell me about it," Barry said as they stopped in front of Patty's house.

"Well, I guess this is where we say goodnight," Patty said.

"Yeah," Barry said a little disappointed. "So…I'll talk to you soon then."

"Barry," Patty said as he turned to speed off and he paused, looking back at her. "Would you like to come inside, meet her?"

"Won't she be asleep?" Barry asked and Patty shrugged.

"She'll probably be up at least once tonight. If not, you can crash on the couch, meet her in the morning if you'd like," Patty offered.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Barry almost immediately accepted.

Patty smiled and they walked up to her front porch. Patty unlocked her front door and they walked in. A young woman with dark hair was sitting on the couch, reading a book when they walked in. She looked up and was surprised to see them.

"Hi Angela," Patty said as the young woman put her book down and got to her feet. "Barry, this is Angela, my babysitter. Angela, this is Barry, Nora's father."

"Nice to meet you," Barry held his hand to Angela ad she took it politely, although she eyed him wearily.

"You to," Angela shot Patty a look that Barry couldn't read before dropping Barry's hand. "She went down an hour ago. We didn't have any problems tonight."

"Good, that's good," Patty pulled some cash out of her purse and handed it to Angela. "Here's tonight's payment."

Angela nodded, flashed Patty a smile before shooting Barry an unreadable look before walking out.

"Sorry about her," Patty apologized but Barry waved her off.

"It's fine. I'm the son of the man who was convicted of killing his wife. You think this is the first time people have judged me? I had to develop a thick skin growing up," Barry said and Patty's eyes softened.

"That doesn't make it okay Barry," Patty said as she put a hand on his arm.

"No, it doesn't, but I learned to stop letting what strangers thought bother me," Barry said as they heard what sounded like a baby cry.

"That's Nora. Look like you'll get to meet her tonight after all. I'll be right back," Patty, without thought, kissed him on the cheek before walking off.

Barry froze; her kiss feeling like a jolt of lightning hit him. And he has a pretty good idea what that feels like. He remained frozen until Patty remerged a few moments later, a toddler in her arms.

"Barry, this is Nora," Patty said softly and Barry's attention snapped into focus.

Barry's gaze was immediately drawn to the young girl in Patty's arms. She has his hair color, something he's already known, but now it barely made it to her neck instead of the long curls of her adult self. Her brown eyes were wide with innocence as she looked up at her father curiously. She was dressed in, of all things, a Flash onesie. Patty loved inside jokes, Barry noted absently as he stared at his daughter.

"Nora, honey…this is your daddy," Patty whispered to her daughter as she saw Barry was lost for words.

"Hi," Barry said as he found his voice, stepping close to Nora. "I'm sorry I haven't been here before now. I wish I had. But I'm here now."

"Do you wanna hold her?" Patty asked softly.

"Can I?" Barry asked hesitantly.

"If she'll let you. Do you think daddy can hold you?" Patty asked her daughter softly.

Nora didn't respond, simply stared up at her father silently. Deciding to test it, Patty began the process of handing Nora to Barry. She fussed a little but calmed down as Barry took hold of her. Patty smiled as she stepped back, seeing Nora already had Barry wrapped around her finger.

"Hi," Barry said as he gazed down at his daughter. "I know I haven't been here and we have a lot to catch up on. But I want you to know, no matter what happens in the future…I love you. And I will fight for you until my last breath."

 **Was I the only one who found it weird how fast Barry and Iris moved in the relationship? They went from not dating to dating to living together to being engaged in less than a year. Even Olicity moved slower than them. It just wasn't realistic and felt super rushed.**


	8. Goodbye

**Sorry it's been so long, the next episode will be much faster.**

 **Chloe: That is the weakest excuse I have ever heard on why WestAllen's relationship wasn't rushed. In fact, that actually proves my point, as Iris saw him as an adoptive brother, as she herself described him more than once in season one. So it definitely should have sent warning bells off how fast they were moving.**

Central City

Night

The quiet of the night was broken by screams of horror. Firefighters sprayed their hoses onto the burning apartment building as they desperately tried to put out the fire. As the battle, water against fire, continued, two red blurs sped into the building. Barry and Nora, both dressed in their suits, stopped once inside the building.

"Head over to the west side, I'll take the east. Rotate your arms just like we practiced, it'll suck the oxygen right out of the fire and it should go out," Barry ordered.

Nora nodded and sped off towards the west side of the building while Barry sped off to the east. Once they were at their destinations, father and daughter rotated their arms at super speed, creating a vortex. Without oxygen, the fire lost a lot of power and, as most it went out from lack of air, the fire department put out the rest.

"Good work guys, now get the people inside out to the paramedics," Cisco ordered over the comms.

Nora heard some crying and sped towards the source. She sped into a room and saw a girl, no older than nine, in a charred room. She had black hair and blue eyes with lightly tanned skin. The girl looked up at her frightened as Nora knelt down in front of her.

"What's your name sweetie?" Nora asked gently.

"Lucy," Lucy said sniffing.

"I'm Nora. Come on, let's get you out of here," Nora said, holding out her hand to Lucy.

Lucy eyed her wearily for a moment before taking Nora's hand. They stood up and walked out of the burned room. As they did, a couple, a man and a woman, were racing down the hall.

"Lucy!" the woman called out and Lucy beamed as she let go of Nora's hand.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she exclaimed as she raced towards the couple.

Nora sat back and watched the family reunite. A strange feeling of longing came over her as she watched the mother and father wrap their arms around Lucy after checking her over. Barry sped in and stopped, watching the family for a moment before he spoke up.

"Okay, let's get you all outside and to the paramedics," Barry said, causing them to look over at him.

Star Labs

Later

"You did good out there tonight," Barry told Nora as they arrived back at Star Labs.

Nora smiled as they entered the cortex, where Cisco and Caitlin were waiting. Judging by the look on their faces, something had happened.

"What? Another Meta attack?" Barry asked on guard.

"Um, no. Head to the time vault," Cisco said looking uneasy.

"Iris is waiting for you," Caitlin explained awkwardly.

Barry tensed. He had not seen or heard from his wife (soon to be ex-wife) since he had moved out of the loft. Cisco had helped him get the rest of his stuff, which was currently in a storage unit until Barry could find a place of his own, and Iris hadn't been there when they got his. What she was doing here now was beyond him.

Barry simply nodded and sped to the time vault. As he entered it, Iris was not looking at him. Rather, she was looking at the news article about him disappearing. Only, once again, the byline read Julie Greer, not Iris West-Allen.

"Always in motion, the future is. Star Trek, right?" Iris asked not looking at him.

"Star Wars," Barry corrected her automatically. "What are you doing here Iris?"

"I came to say goodbye," Iris said as she turned around to face Barry. "I'm leaving Central City."

"Leaving?" Barry repeated surprised.

"There's nothing here for me anymore Barry," Iris sighed. "I took an indefinite leave of absence while you were in the Speed Force, I just never went back. You hate me, dad doesn't want anything to do with me, Wally's gone. There's nothing here for me Barry."

"Where are you gonna go?" Barry asked softly.

"I was thinking Coast City. When Eddie and I were engaged, we talked about moving there, get away from all this," Iris gestured to the time vault. "My old boss from Central City News pulled some strings, got me a job at Coast City Reporting. I start at the bottom, but I'll climb my way up. Before I go, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to you and Patty."

"Sometimes Iris, sorry isn't enough," Barry said stiffly and she sighed.

"I know. I was afraid that if I told you about Nora, that you would get close to Patty again and all your old feelings would come back. Because I knew you have never gotten over her, you never stopped loving her," Iris said.

"I loved you to. And you should have given me the choice," Barry said angrily and Iris nodded.

"You may have loved me, but not like you love her. You two, you connect in a way you never have with me, she made you happy in a way I don't. But you're right; it wasn't my choice to make. I'm not trying to justify what I did, because it is unforgivable. I see that now. I hope that one day, we can be friends at least," Iris then pulled out a golden envelope. "These are the annulment papers, they've been signed. I got them yesterday. It's funny, up until then I had a little hope I could work things out with you. But when I got these…I realized I was being delusional."

Iris handed them to Barry and then, slowly, pulled off her wedding ring. She held it out for Barry and he silently took it.

"I know it doesn't mean much, but I am sorry Barry," Iris kissed him on the cheek once before pulling back. "Take care Barry."

Barry didn't say anything else as she walked out. He looked down at the paper and ring before looking back up at the news article. Then, he closed his hand around the ring and vibrated it extremely fast. When he opened his hand, the ring had been reduced to dust.

 **Was planning on it being longer, but that felt like a good stopping point. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	9. Decisions

**Hope you all had a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. Meant to have this up last night but didn't get around to it. So, here is a delayed Christmas gift from me to all of you. Hope you enjoy it.**

West house

Morning

"Wow," Joe said as he stared at Barry, who had come to him this morning for advice. "That's…"

"Yeah," Barry admitted. "It's selfish, right?"

"Wanting a better life for your kid? No, that's not selfish Bar. That's the least selfish thing you can do," Joe told him honestly. "But are you sure about this?"

"I don't know," Barry admitted as he got to his feet, looking around the house. "I have a lot of happy memories here Joe. But I also know I was here because I lost both my parents. Last night, when I saw that girl reunited with her parents…I realized I never had. I didn't grow up with that, neither did Nora. I can't change the past, but I want a better future for my kid."

"So, you're gonna move to Midway City?" Joe asked.

"I'm considering it, considering it a lot. But how can I leave Central City at the mercy of these Metas?" Barry sighed, clearly struggling with this decision.

"Look, I can't tell you what to do Barry. But, if you did leave, Cisco and Ralph could pick up the slack. I'd miss you like crazy, we all would, but you gotta do what you gotta do," Joe advised him.

"I know, I'm just not sure what that is yet," Barry admitted with a sigh.

"You'll figure it out, you always do," Joe said confidently and Barry smiled lightly.

"I've gotta go, I have to pick up Patty and baby Nora at the train station in an hour, so I'll see you later," Barry said before standing up and speeding out the door.

Star Labs

Same

"Okay, time to head over to Joe's. Barry left so it's time to set up," Cisco said as he got the text from Joe.

As the others began to leave the cortex, Cisco passed the mantle where Barry kept his suit. Immediately, Cisco paused as a vibe hit him

 _Cisco's Vibe_

 _Someone, a speedster, was speeding around in what appeared to be a vortex. All Cisco could see was a flash of red before it stopped. It was Barry, in his Flash suit._

 _End Vibe_

"Cisco, you okay?" Caitlin asked as Cisco came back to himself. "You just Vibed, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but about what, I'm not completely sure," Cisco said a little perplexed.

Train station

Afternoon

Barry stood in the crowd, waiting as the train stopped. The doors opened and the passengers got out. Barry waited for her to get off but he didn't have to wait long. Patty soon emerged, baby Nora in her arms. Spotting him, she made her over to him.

"Hey," Patty said with a smile.

"Hey. And hey to you to," Barry said as he took his daughters hand and she squealed as she saw him, causing both her parents to smile. "You wanna make a pit stop at Jitters? There's something I wanna talk to you about."

West House

Same time

"Thanks for helping set up guys," Joe said, trying to keep the look of disgust off his face as Ralph returned his arm to its original length. "But could you not do that in my house Ralph?"

Ralph simply shrugged as he snagged an apple. Joe shook his head as Cisco and Caitlin fought their snickers.

"I think I'm gonna take off before mom gets here," Nora said and they all turned to her, stunned.

"You don't wanna see her?" Joe questioned surprised.

"I just think this is all going to be overwhelming enough for my mom without me being here. I think it's best that I meet her later," Nora said awkwardly, avoiding their gazes before she sped out before they could argue.

"Well that was…odd," Cecile said after a moment.

"Yeah, it was. It was also full of shit," Cisco said confidently.

"She's definitely not telling us something," Caitlin said wearily, wondering what the time traveling speedster could possibly be hiding.

Jitters

Later in the afternoon

"Never thought I'd be in here again," Patty mentioned as she and Barry sat across the table from each other, Nora next to her mother in a high chair.

"Why not?" Barry asked curiously and she shrugged.

"I didn't want to chance running into you. As far as I was concerned, you'd made your choice and I didn't want to put myself and Nora through that," Patty reached across the table and grabbed his hand when she saw the look on his face. "Hey, I know differently now. What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"The other night, there was a burning building with people trapped inside," Barry said, deciding to allow the change in subject. "Nora, future Nora that is, and I put out the fires with the fire department. There was a girl, Nora found her and her parents came and got her when it was over. When I saw them, I realized I never had that growing up. I never had the two parent life once my mom was murdered, because it was taken from me. Because of Iris, Nora never had that either. Maybe now she can."

"What exactly are you saying Barry?" Patty asked in confusion.

"I think I'm going to move to Midway City," Barry said to her shock.

"What?" Patty asked after a moment.

"My daughter, she should have what I didn't," Barry explained.

"And she will. You don't need to give up being The Flash Barry," Patty assured him.

"I will if I have to," Barry said earnestly.

"You don't have to…because I'm moving to Central City," Patty said and Barry was taken back. "I wasn't gonna tell you until later but…I put in a transfer to CCPD. Like you said, our daughter deserves the two parent life and I want her going from city to city as much as you do. If you can be ready to give up being The Flash, then I can give up my life in Central City. Our daughter should have both her parents. I'm gonna stay with my mom until I can find a place of my own. We can figure out custody later."

Barry opened and closed his mouth, unsure what to say. His phone went off and he pulled it out, seeing a text from Joe.

'Worried about Nora. Won't come to the party, head to Star Labs' it read.

"Patty, I'm sorry, I gotta go," Barry said as he got to his feet.

"Is everything okay?" Patty asked concerned.

"I'm not sure. Can you make it to your mom's by yourself?" Barry asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, I'll call a cab. Barry, what's going on?" Patty asked.

"Our daughter needs me," Barry said simply, putting don some cash to cover his expenses as well as some money for a cab before turning and walking out of the café, speeding off to Star Labs once he was out of sight.


	10. The returns

**So, here is the final chapter of the story. I would just like to thank everyone of you for your support. Hope you enjoy this.**

Star Labs

Afternoon

Barry walked into the pipeline and saw Nora. Her back was to him as she sat down on the floor, she gave no sign she knew he was there as he approached her.

"How'd you know I was here?" Nora asked without turning to face him.

"When I got upset and needed some time alone, I'd come down here to think. Haven't in a while since Iris took over Star Labs," Barry admitted as he sat down next to Nora. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I can't be there when my mom comes," Nora said her voice shaking slightly.

"Why not? Don't you wanna see her?" Barry asked confused.

"More than anything. That's the problem," Nora said, looking over at him and Barry could tell by the redness of her eyes that she had been crying. "In the future, my mom is dead. And when I go back, she'll still be dead."

"So, you figure that it's better to keep your distance so that it won't hurt as much when you go back?" Barry realized and she nodded. "I get it, I do, but you're wrong."

"What?" Nora asked confused.

"I lost my dad when I wasn't much younger than you. But sill, I would give just about anything for a few more days, hours, even just a few more minutes with him, no matter how much it hurt when I lost him again. And the future isn't set in stone. The future you came from was one where I was still married to Iris, had no idea you existed, and your mom lived in Midway City. I'm not married to Iris anymore, I know about you, and your mom just told me that she's moving back to Central City. For all we know, your mom will still be alive when you go back."

"She's moving to Central City?" Nora asked surprised and Barry nodded.

"Yeah, she came to the same conclusion I did: that her parents living in two separate cities, making her go back and forth wasn't a life we wanted for our daughter. I was five seconds away from requesting a transfer to Midway City but, as usual, your mom outsmarted me and beat me to the punch," Barry said with a smile. "So, what do you say, ready to go see your mom?"

"Okay," Nora said after a moment. "On one condition: I'll go to the party if you tell mom how you feel about her."

"Nora…I literally just ended my marriage to Iris," Barry said after a moment.

"I know. And maybe it's none of my business…but I saw the way you looked when I told you she was dead, you looked like you'd just been shot. And I hear the way you talk about her. Maybe it is none of my business…but for what it's worth, I think you should at least talk about it with her. You're right dad; we don't know what the future holds…so maybe we should treat each moment with her like it's our last."

Nora then got and walked out, leaving Barry sitting there as he considered his daughter's words.

Central City

Mid-afternoon

Barry rang a door bell and waited on the outside of the house nervously. After a few moments, a woman with greying blond hair and Patty's eyes opened the door. Barry immediately knew this was Patty's mother.

"Mrs. Spivot," Barry greeted politely before blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "I'm Barry."

"I know who you are," Ms. Spivot said blankly.

"I'm sorry," Barry blurted out.

"Sorry?" she repeated confused.

"For not being there for Patty and Nora," Barry clarified. "You must hate me."

"It's alright Barry, Patty told me everything," Mrs. Spivot said calmly and for a moment, Barry panics until he realized she meant Iris' lie. "You didn't know. And you're doing everything you can to be a part of my granddaughter's life now. As long as you do right by her, you'll be okay in my book."

"You're not scaring him, are you?" Patty asked as she emerged over her mother's shoulder, Nora in her arms.

"Not all," Mrs. Spivot said, a warm smile crossing her face. "Have a good time sweetheart, both of you."

Patty simply gave her mother a pointed look before she and Nora walked out. Mrs. Spivot closed the door behind them as they began to walk down the driveway.

"She didn't try and scare you off, did she?" Patty asked, worried her mother might have said something less than flattering.

"No. She actually seems pretty cool," Barry admitted.

"She wasn't when she found out I was pregnant with my ex-boyfriend's baby. Isn't that right Nora? Grandma was not happy that day," Patty cooed to her daughter and was rewarded by a happy squeal. "So are we running there? Because I'm not sure how well that will work with Nora."

"No, we're driving," Barry said as he gestured to a black SUV. "It's Joe's; he lent it to me for this."

"Barry, you really need to get a car," Patty said trying not to laugh.

Barry simply shrugged and opened the back door so Patty could put Nora in the car seat. Once Nora as secure, Patty closed the door and looked over at Barry. She was surprised that he seemed anxious and even nervous.

"Barry, are you okay?" Patty asked a little concerned.

"I need to tell you something," Barry began carefully. "You don't need to say anything but…I need to say it. I need to know that you heard what I'm about to say."

"Okay," Patty said confused but still gestured for him to continue.

"I love you," Barry said and she stiffened. "This might sound crazy, but I've been in love with you since the first time we kissed. I just couldn't admit it at the time."

"If you loved me… then why didn't you tell me the truth?" Patty asked quietly and Barry winced.

"I was going to," Barry admitted and Patty was surprised. "The night of the gala, I was going to tell you everything. But some bad advice and my fear stopped me. Then you told me about the offer and about becoming a CSI, how could I take away your dream?"

"I'm not sure what you want me to say," Patty said after a moment.

"You don't have to say anything. I just needed you to know," Barry said as he turned to get into the car.

"Barry?" Patty called out and he paused. "I love you to. But you just ended things with Iris; I think we should focus on Nora before we do anything about…us."

Barry simply nodded before getting in the car, Patty getting in the passenger side as Barry started the car.

West house

Later in the afternoon

"You ready for this?" Barry asked Patty as they got out of the car, Patty getting Nora from the back.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Patty sad and Barry nodded.

He led them over to the front porch and opened the door. He led them inside and Patty looked around, almost smiling as she saw the banner that read 'Welcome home Patty and Nora'. It was cute and also touched Patty's heart. Her attention was lifted from the banner as everyone walked into the room.

"Spivot," Joe said jovially and Patty smiled at her old partner.

"Hey Joe," Patty turned to Nora, who was watching Joe with curious, innocent eyes. "This is Nora. Nora, this is your grandpa Joe."

"Papa," Joe corrected automatically, his eyes already on his grandchild. "Can I hold her?"

"If she'll let you. Can Papa Joe hold you, huh?" Patty asked her daughter softly, trying to hand Nora off to Joe.

She fussed a little but quieted when she was in Joe's arms. Barry and Patty almost laughed at the look on Joe's face. It was clear that she already had him wrapped around her finger. As Joe got acquainted with his granddaughter, Barry and Patty made their way towards the others.

"You remember Catlin and Cisco," Barry said, gesturing to his friends.

"Of course. It's nice to see you again," Patty said politely.

"Drink?" Cisco asked, offering her some Champaign.

"No thank you, I don't drink much these days," Patty said politely.

Cisco shrugged and walked off.

"It was nice to see you again Patty. I'm gonna go make sure he's okay," Caitlin smiled before walking after Cisco.

"Was it something I said?" Patty said a little confused.

"No, Cisco's just going through a tough time right now," Barry stared after Caitlin worried for a moment before turning to Ralph. "This is Ralph Dibny."

"The Elongated man, right?" Patty smiled at the look of surprise on Ralph's face. "I used to be a detective."

"I am a detective and I couldn't make that guess. You are good," Ralph said, shaking her hand.

"And I think you met Cecile," Barry said as Cecile made her way over, Jenna in her arms.

"Yeah, we worked together on a case with Joe once," Patty remembered as she let Ralph's hand go. "DA Horton."

"Please, call me Cecile. And this is Jenna," Cecile introduced and Patty smiled.

"I heard about you and Joe, congratulations," Patty said and Cecile smiled.

As they caught up, Barry looked up and saw Nora, adult Nora, lingering in the doorway. Barry smiled encouragingly and she took a deep breath before entering the room. Patty looked up from her conversation with Cecile and Nora looked like a deer caught in the headlights as Patty spotted her. It took only a moment for Patty to remember the picture on Barry's phone and realize this was her daughter. Nora cautiously approached her mother, trying to steel herself.

"I'm Nora…" Nora trialed off, unsure how to continue this conversation.

"I'm Patty, but you already knew that," Patty said and Nora smiled lightly.

As he watched them interact, Barry smiled slightly, feeling like, for the first time everything was going to be okay.

Central City

Night

On an empty street, a blue portal opened up. A red blur emerged from it before the portal closed behind him. The blur stopped, revealing itself to be The Flash. He looked around, seeing a building that he was sure shouldn't be there. Then it was because he realized that it had been destroyed in a battle with Grodd, three years ago (to him).

"When the hell am I?" Barry Allen of 2024 wondered as he looked around.

 **Yes, there will be a sequel, although I'm not sure when that will be.**

 **I was originally going to have Barry and Patty get back together but I felt like I was rushing it, so I'm to save that for the sequel.**

 **Yes, Barry of 2024 has returned. And that is going to be the basis of the sequel. Until then, this is me signing off on this story.**


	11. Copy

**I'm usually a fairly laid back person. But what royally pisses me off is when someone steals my work and tries to pass it off as their own. Case in point, I jsut ran across a story in Flash fanfiction archive on this site that is clearly plagerism of this work that I worked really hard on. And that just pisses me off.**


	12. Sequel

**At long last, the long awaited sequel is up titled 'The once and future Flash'.**


End file.
